The Basics of High Definition
March 8, 2009
By Brian Engle
We all know that high definition is a great feature to have, and Blu-ray players are the way to fully utilize HD capabilities. To comprehend the importance of Blu-ray, it is necessary to understand the details behind high definition.
We have all heard of resolution, but what does it mean? Resolution is the amount of pixels per horizontal line, as well as how many of those lines there are. HDTVs with higher resolution look better and are more expensive.
High definition resolutions have either 720 or 1,080 lines, and either 1,280 or 1,920 pixels per line. This is much better than the original type of DVD, which can only have 480 horizontal lines and up to 720 pixels per line.
In addition to what the resolutions are, how the picture is displayed also has an effect on the overall quality. Images can be formed by either interlaced or progressive scanning. Interlaced scanning involves displaying odd numbered lines first and then the even numbered lines, while progressive scanning displays lines in sequence.
Progressive scanning is visually better because it produces a clearer picture. However, it requires larger amounts of data, which can slow down transmission if hardware is not up to date.
Knowing the aforementioned facts, it is easy to interpret what resolutions mean. For example, 1080i means that 1080 horizontal lines are used and interlaced scanning is utilized.
Blu-ray players are the only technology that can display the highest form of resolution, which is 1080p. Not even television stations are broadcasting shows in 1080p yet, although they probably will in the future.
In reality, it is not completely necessary to spend extra money for higher resolutions unless you have a limitless supply of funds. Most people cannot even tell the difference between 720p and 1080i, and the differential between 1080i and 1080p is even smaller. Therefore, to save money, buying a TV with 720p resolution should be fine.
We have all heard of resolution, but what does it mean? Resolution is the amount of pixels per horizontal line, as well as how many of those lines there are. HDTVs with higher resolution look better and are more expensive.
High definition resolutions have either 720 or 1,080 lines, and either 1,280 or 1,920 pixels per line. This is much better than the original type of DVD, which can only have 480 horizontal lines and up to 720 pixels per line.
In addition to what the resolutions are, how the picture is displayed also has an effect on the overall quality. Images can be formed by either interlaced or progressive scanning. Interlaced scanning involves displaying odd numbered lines first and then the even numbered lines, while progressive scanning displays lines in sequence.
Progressive scanning is visually better because it produces a clearer picture. However, it requires larger amounts of data, which can slow down transmission if hardware is not up to date.
Knowing the aforementioned facts, it is easy to interpret what resolutions mean. For example, 1080i means that 1080 horizontal lines are used and interlaced scanning is utilized.
Blu-ray players are the only technology that can display the highest form of resolution, which is 1080p. Not even television stations are broadcasting shows in 1080p yet, although they probably will in the future.
In reality, it is not completely necessary to spend extra money for higher resolutions unless you have a limitless supply of funds. Most people cannot even tell the difference between 720p and 1080i, and the differential between 1080i and 1080p is even smaller. Therefore, to save money, buying a TV with 720p resolution should be fine.
About the Author:
The author's website, blu-ray-movies-reviews.com, features many blu-ray and movie reviews, such as Taken with Liam Neeson.
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